“Dr. Who? And Other Networking Tips”

You have all been on the campus for almost four weeks. Some of you could add the number of years to that count. So, how is your networking going? The kind that leads to your future career.

Whether you are a Freshman or a Senior, networking will be the fuel that moves you toward career goals. (If you have no career goals, that’s another blog.) Do you have a 15 second elevator pitch? It is the response you should be able to give to the question, “So what do you do?”. “ I am a (Freshman, Sophomore, etc.) at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, majoring in _____ with the goal of entering into the field of ______” sounds sooo much better than “just hangin’” or “just barely getting by”.

Now that you might introduce yourself with more intent, go meet some very influential persons on campus. We call them “Professors or Drs.”. After almost four weeks on campus, can you list the names of your professors? They know about the field in which you are interested, or know persons who are in the field. They will be your contacts for that full time course load you are taking. They could be influential references for your resume, internship, employment, research opportunity, etc.

You will not be able to claim proficiency in all things when you graduate, but your professors will be able to give you recommendations based on your performance in their classes. If they know who you are, that is.

On Wednesday, September 25th, from 10:00am – 2:00pm in the UC Tennessee and Chattanooga Rooms, the Career and Student Employment Center will host its Fall 2013 Career Day for UTC students and alumni. Practice your networking tools and be prepared to meet the employers who are experts in their fields. They are preparing to ask you, “Who are you and what do you do?”